Wayland Police detective retires

Sunday

Jul 6, 2014 at 12:05 AM

By Susan L. WagnerDaily News Staff

WAYLAND - After 34 years as a member of the Wayland Police Department, Detective Ruth Backman retired last week, distinguishing herself as an advocate for victims of relationship violence.When she first came on board in 1980, Backman was the second female police officer to be appointed in Wayland; the first was family friend Sandra O’Brien, who acted as her mentor.Backman became involved with the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable at its inception 16 years ago, and is the current president of the organization.She has also been active with the Domestic Violence Services Network, serving as the Wayland Police Department’s liaison between victims of domestic violence and the services provided by the network.Additionally, Backman is one of the original instructors of the Rape, Aggression, Defense Program (RAD) taught at Wayland High School, and said she will still help out if the organization needs an instructor from time to time.It was early in her career, she recalled recently, when the laws and awareness around relationship violence began to change."Now there are a lot more resources for people to get help," she said. "Police training and protocol have changed. We’re far more knowledgeable insofar as saying and doing something and trying to assess a given situation for risk."Still, she noted, there are instances of relationship violence where the victims don’t want to do anything to correct the situation, and "these are particularly difficult cases to prosecute."Backman has also been involved with a number of collaborations around town that focus on youth, including WaylandCares and Community-based Justice, where police can communicate with the schools about students who are at risk or ongoing court cases involving youth.In addition, Backman has for many years served a dual role as both a detective and police prosecutor, meaning frequent trips back and forth to Framingham District Court, and serving as a liaison with the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office in Woburn.Among the highlights of her career, Backman recalled getting the Wayland Police Department’s first computer installed in the 1980s, a clunker that was hard wired and served both the Police and Fire departments."We wanted it because we were young officers and wanted to be ahead of the curve," she said. "I was so enthusiastic that I even went up in the attic and strung wires in the middle of the summer."She also remembers the wave of enthusiasm when the department moved into its current quarters. "This is still regarded as one of the nicest police departments in the state," she said.More recently, she solved her first case using DNA."There was a housebreak over a year ago in Wayland and we had very little to go on except for some footwear impressions and missing jewelry," she said. "But the perpetrator also left an item of clothing on the scene. We submitted that and waited. Finally, we were able to get a warrant for him and interviewed him. In addition to the DNA, he showed up in the same footwear he wore the day of the crime."Cases like this are very satisfying. And this is why we need to get DNA from felons. They tend to recommit."In view of her accomplishments, Backman was recognized last year by the Massachusetts Association of Women in Law Enforcement with its Spirit of M.A.W.L.E Community Service Award.A lifelong resident of Wayland, Backman has been married since 1982 and has three children.In her retirement, she is looking forward to playing golf and spending time at the beach, particularly on Cape Cod and in Maine."It’s been a good ride," she said. "I basically feel I grew up on the job, and I’ll miss the people I’ve worked with and the people who’ve been good to me and to the department."A farewell/barbecue party is being planned for Backman on July 16 at Sandy Burr Country Club, 103 Cochituate Road, Wayland.

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